Field
This disclosure is generally related to help systems that rely on user input for diagnosis purposes. More specifically, this disclosure is related to such a help system that is frugal with user engagement.
Related Art
Many current customer-assistance systems that provide assistance for products or services rely on extra information provided or extra steps taken by the customers themselves to help with diagnosis of problems associated with the products or services. For example, when a user experience problems with his computer system, he may use a self-help system available on the website of the product maker to troubleshoot and to fix the problems. Before performing the diagnostics, the self-help system may require the user to place his computer system into a standard configuration. For example, the user may be asked to re-install certain software. Another example can be a call center that collects extra information from a calling customer in order to route the call to specific service personnel. Such an approach reduces the burden on providers of the help systems at the expense of the customers' involvement in diagnostics. In some instances a customer may be asked to take unnecessary steps, just on the off chance that it will save the help provider extra costs. The shift of costs from help providers to customers may often not benefit the customers.
In many applications the help provider may not be motivated to provide a high-quality help system because users of such a system may have already purchased the product or service, and the help system only needs to meet minimum requirements. In such settings a provider may shift to the user, as much as possible, the burden of diagnosis and repair, and the user, having already purchased the product, may have no choice but to bear the extra costs.
Nevertheless, in many markets, particularly those covered by third-party surveys and reputation management systems, the quality of product support is an integral part of the product's overall reputation for quality. In such markets, help systems that provide limited assistance or are too burdensome to users may become an obstacle in attracting more users to adopt the corresponding products or services.